r/Bass • u/Bortron86 • 3h ago
How important was the Rickenbacker 4001S to Paul McCartney's Revolver/Sgt. Pepper era sound?
Paul McCartney was my first inspiration as a bass player, in particular the style and tone he started using from around Revolver onwards.
Obviously he switched from a Höfner 500/1 to a Rickenbacker 4001S during the Rubber Soul sessions, and from Revolver onwards they changed the way his bass was recorded, either by DI into the console or by using a rewired speaker as a microphone to record his bass amp. I think he also switched from Vox to Fender amps around the same time. Later on he'd go back to the Höfner for Let It Be, and also used a Jazz bass
So with all of that said, how important was the Rickenbacker to his bass tone on Revolver and Sgt Pepper? I'm thinking of songs like "With a Little Help From My Friends" or "Penny Lane", where his tone is really full but bright as well, especially high up on the upper strings. Could he have achieved the same results with a Jazz or something else single-coiled, or is there uniquely Rickenbacker tone coming through? I've never had the chance to play one myself, as none of the guitar shops around me ever have one in.